Dreams and Wishes
by Atticus-Plotkin
Summary: (AU). What would have happened if Goku had not made it off of Namek before it exploded? Well, it turns out things would have worked out very, very different. Gohan/Bulma pairing. Chapter 3 is up. Sorry for big wait.
1. Moving In

Dreams and Wishes  
Chapter One: Moving In  
Disclaimer:I own nothing  
Description: An Alternate Universe (AU) fic. Bulma/Gohan pairing. How many lives would have been changed if Goku didn't make it off Namek before it exploded? Well, it turns out that things would have turned out very, very different. Although you will probably tell me this is an OOC, I don't think it is because these characters may have reacted this way under these situations. You may say that this is OOC for Gohan, but keep in mind that this all could have been going on in his mind before he met Videl. So, I don't think it really is OOC, just AU. If Gohan and Bulma is too weird a pairing for you, don't read it, because I promise right now this is not going to turn into a Gohan/Videl at any point. That being said, I hope you like it!  
I never quite grew out of it. My childhood dream. The blue haired girl, older than me, mysterious, kind, loving…why couldn't I just make my brain stop thinking those thoughts? I mean, as a kid I thought there might be a chance one day. Me and Bulma. Me, and a girl older than my mom! Ha!   
  
Of course now I knew that I could never have her. I knew from the rules of society. That sort of thing only flowed one way. Older boy, younger girl, Never the other direction. Never, to the tune of 19 years…never, never.  
  
Why couldn't things have turned out different on Namek? Dad always helped me. When I had a problem, he was there for me. Why did things have to turn out so wrong? Why couldn't Vegeta wish Dad back to life?  
  
We owed him our lives, I will grant him that. I mean, Cell would have killed us all for sure. But…I wish it was not so complicated. I wish life was just a little bit more simple. Dad gone, killed when Namek exploded, Krellin committing suicide…but when Vegeta knew that there was no "Kakorot" to stop him, that's when the worst happened. One of the biggest maniacs used the Earth Dragon Balls to wish himself immortal. Then, to make sure that nobody could ever wish for anything else, he destroyed the Dragon Balls. Then that whole mess with the androids…I guess I should be grateful that he has settled down now.   
  
But when Vegeta and 18 got married, it really didn't help much. Besides Krellin killing himself for failing to win 18's love, things only escalated with my thoughts for Bulma…  
  
Then, Mom got sick. When I heard I was going to live with Bulma now, I felt exited deep down, but I was scared. What if she could tell my feeling for her? I mean, I was only 16. I can't be that good at lying.  
  
I tried to mask my happiness when I first moved my boxes in, but that only succeeded in her becoming more interested in why I was so moody looking. I tried to make up a lie for her, but I found myself looking at her, staring at her beauty. How does a woman of 35 years of age get more and more beautiful each year? Isn't the human peak supposed to be 25? How is it possible that ever year, every month, every day practically she is so much more beautiful, and…  
  
"Gohan? Well? What's wrong, sweety? Are you worried about your mom?" I nodded. I tried to yell to myself "Yes, and remember, your mom is younger than Bulma!" But I couldn't. Why couldn't Bulma have found someone else? Why did Yamcha have to die? Why did Dad? Why did Krellin and Tien and Chaitsu?  
  
It seemed that only Mom, Piccolo and Bulma were left. And the doctors said that Mom was not doing very well. Piccolo was spending all of his time with her at the hospital…sometimes I think that he was falling for her, poor guy. Of all the people who might ever replace Dad, Piccolo would have been the most ok, but now…she'll be dead. And would Piccolo kill himself too? What would happen then? Could Bulma go on with just me left?   
  
Too many questions, too many for a time like this. A time when the Earth was kept at peace because 2 evil maniacs ruled the Earth. An immortal Sayin prince and his Andriod bride. A time when would I have been happy, had I been younger. I was moving in with Bulma!  
  
To be young again…why couldn't I go back to the days when I thought I had a chance? The days of fighting Raditz and training with Piccolo…the days when endurance and willpower was all you needed. Not this, when love was a heartache and your own brain worked against you. Thinking of what you can never have, all the time, thinking of the questions, over and over.  
  
Bulma seemed very happy to finally have someone to live with her again. I don't think she ever really felt happy after she found out that Yamcha wasn't coming back. She really seemed to care about me, too. If she had treated me like and adult I would have liked it better. It would have been able to forget the fact that I liked her as a child, easier to detach. But she didn't. She treated me like a kid, which I guess, from her eyes, I was. She kissed my forehead when I came in the door and she spoke to me in a sweet voice that she never showed anyone else. Just like I remember her.  
  
You would think I would have someone to talk to about this, but I didn't have anyone. I was always to busy training and fighting to do much school or socializing, and my childhood friends where dropping, one by one. It seemed only Dendae and Roshi were there now. Dendae knew little of human relationships, and Roshi, having a crush on Bulma himself, would not be of any help.  
  
When did I have to get so smart? So full of thinking? I remember if I wanted something, I did it. If I couldn't do it, then Dad could. But now…I couldn't do anything. Not even live my own life.   
  
But, as it seemed, neither could anyone else. If things worked out bad enough, pretty soon the only people I ever knew who would still be alive would be Vegeta and 18. Alone somewhere, having the time of their lives. I never understood how they had a relationship, anyway. They hated each other, but yet, they loved each other all the same.   
  
But now was no the time to think about the future. Nor the past. Now was the time to think on the present, to think about what to do about me and Bulma.   
  
I knew we couldn't be a couple, but what could I do? Go dating? Try to burn her out of my brain with the image of another woman? That would not work either. I mean, how could a girl my own age ever excite me now? Inexperienced, immature, ignorant…why couldn't I be normal? Why couldn't I just…  
  
The loop in my thoughts was cut by a knock on the door. Bulma was there, dressed in a clingy red dress.   
  
"Gohan, I under stocked on groceries this week. Wanna go out for dinner and a movie instead?" I swallowed hard. Now she was asking me out on a date!  
  
Well, I knew she wasn't. I mean, she didn't mean it like that. I was her best friends son, not her boyfriend. She was just being sweet Bulma…but it was so hard to hear her phrase it like that! I wanted her to ask me out, so much!  
  
"Sure, Bulma, that would be great." She smiled a tantalizing smile at me and walked downstairs. Was it wrong that I wanted her to do this? To ask me out, to initiate the first kiss, to be the one who prepos…  
  
"Whoa there, slow down brain." I mentally chided myself. "That's certainly not going to do you any good." Sometimes I wish I could just lower my IQ 50 points, so I could just have fun with my dream girl and not worry about things like this. But then, if I did, I would have that much less of an appreciation of just how wonderful she really was…  
  
Dinner was great. I mean, really it was. It was almost enough to make me forget that I could never have her. I was enjoying myself, telling jokes…it was fun. But it never left my mind. The movie we saw didn't help, either. Cheesy romance film. I don't like then, but she did…and that was enough. She was worth any movie.  
  
I only paid attention to the movie with half my brain, but that was more than enough understand the rather underdeveloped plot. I kept thinking to myself with the other half, "Would Mom be proud of me?" I was not sure. I mean, dating a girl older than her…not good. But Bulma, beautiful, funny, exiting, rich. She has a spirit as strong as Mom, too. Maybe more so. Maybe mom could be happy. I tried in vain to think that I was not "dating" her. But somehow, it felt like it. Wishful thinking, I guess.  
  
Maybe I should see another girl, just to find someone else to do this with. Anything but sit through the torture of seeing someone you love who you know you can't have. During the end of the movie, which was a happy ending, she momentarily grasped my hand. I felt butterflies in my stomach, felt my knees go weak. I could probably lift 100 times her weight or more, but she made me feel I could not lift 10 pound in a half second touch.   
  
As the credits rolled and we left the theater, I punished myself with thought of hope. Half empty thoughts, those I knew could not exist but I wished for anyway. When we got home, she said to me "I had a really great time, Gohan" We smiled and looked at each other for a few seconds.  
  
"I had a really great time too." After that, we went to bed. I stayed up for hours, thinking of her saying it, over and over.  
  
And that is the end of chapter one! I hope you liked it! 


	2. Living

Dreams and Wishes  
Chapter Two: Living  
Disclaimer:I own nothing  
Description: An Alternate Universe (AU) fic. Bulma/Gohan pairing. How many lives would have been changed if Goku didn't make it off Namek before it exploded? Well, it turns out that things would have turned out very, very different. Although you will probably tell me this is an OOC, I don't think it is because these characters may have reacted this way under these situations. You may say that this is OOC for Gohan, but keep in mind that this all could have been going on in his mind before he met Videl. So, I don't think it really is OOC, just AU. If Gohan and Bulma is too weird a pairing for you, don't read it, because I promise right now this is not going to turn into a Gohan/Videl at any point. That being said, I hope you like it!  
When I woke up, Bulma was on the phone, with a sad expression on her face. I didn't need to ask her what was wrong. I knew something was happening to Mom. I flew to the hospital as fast as I could.   
  
The doctors told me that they were going to have to perform surgery on her, or she would die. I waited in the waiting room for 3 hours while the operation took place. I felt so scared. What would happen if she died? To me? To Bulma and Piccolo? Mom just couldn't go, then I really would be an orphan. Bulma showed up to wait with me, which only made it harder for me to try and wait out the time.  
Finally, the 3 hours was up, and she had pulled through, but she wasn't fine, not just yet. They were going to have to keep her for longer. It's times like these that life doesn't seem to be fair. Our family didn't deserve this. We saved the Earth from Raditz and Nappa and Vegeta, we defeated the Ginyu Force and Freeza...why?  
  
Bulma left to go to work at Capsule Corp after she heard the news, and I went to visit Dendae. Maybe he would be able to heal Mom, make her all right.   
"Gohan, your mom is not sick or injured." I shook my head.   
  
"Dendae, of course she is sick, that's why she is at the hospital." Dendae put his hand on my shoulder.  
  
"Gohan, she would have been able to recover if she wanted to. She's letting herself stay sick because she can't face not being able to see Goku again. If she goes...then she can be with her husband. The only magic I could ever use to cure a broken heart would be bringing Goku back to life with the Dragon Balls, and they are gone..." How could this be? Did Mom really have a death wish?   
  
What was I to do now? I mean, under any other circumstances, I would train or...something. Looking back on my life, I could not even remember a time when I lived with peace. There was always a goal, a planet so save, something to fight for. What was fighting now? Vegeta was immortal, but even if he wasn't, what would killing him truly accomplish? Revenge? It wouldn't bring Dad back, it wouldn't save Mom. I left the lookout, flying over the sky.  
  
What would Piccolo say if he knew what I felt for Bulma? What would my Dad have said? He grew up with her, almost like a little brother to her. Piccolo might not care, but Dad? Would he want me to stand up to Vegeta or just live a normal life? Would he want me to try to get the ungettable, my dream girl, or would he want me to move on and try to get a girl my own age? If only I could ask him...  
But everyone would agree that I could not abandon Bulma. She had been hit by this as hard as anyone. Her 2 childhood best friends and her boyfriend, dead and gone forever. I could not fly away from the suffering of others. If I could just try to help the suffering her and Piccolo, maybe, maybe then my life would be important. To heal the pain of others. Was that my destiny now? Would that make my parents proud of me?  
  
But Bulma was as resilient as ever. When I went to capsule corp., I found her yelling at incompetent employees and being as full of life as ever. Nothing could ever drag Bulma down. I mean, she was not in a good mood and I'm sure she was not being very hopeful, but depression was not something Bulma sank into. Lucky her.  
  
Later that day, me and Bulma were back at her house, sitting on the couch.  
"Think I should get a job, Bulma?" She shook her head.  
  
"No, don't. Who needs more stress at a time like this? I'm thinking about hiring a CEO to manage all my affairs for me at Capsule Corp." It was an interesting answer.  
  
"Should I go to school?" She just laughed.  
  
"I dropped out of school, and look at me! Multi millionaire! Gohan, school isn't as useful as people play it up to be. And, as long as I am here, consider any expenses you have paid for." No job? No school? It seemed great, but...that would mean I would spend a lot more time with her.  
  
"You really want to do that for me?" She nodded.  
  
"That's what money should be used for, Gohan, making life easier. Getting rid of a few hardships and stressful situations so life can be just a little more enjoyable." I nodded. It would be hard to spend all the time with her, but...it might be fun. To be able to not constantly try to make myself the best, to not have to try so hard all the time. To relax and enjoy life.   
  
"Lets have fun, you and I. We need it. Life is too hard not to have fun. Lets just enjoy life as much as we can. They would have wanted our lives to be happy." I nodded again. It didn't make all that much sense to me. How could anyone even try to have fun now? But I nodded anyway.  
  
Bulma and I played a few games of monopoly, in which I let her win every round. I wanted to see her happy, smiling. Then we watched some TV and thought about what we would do tomorrow.  
  
"We could go to the beach, or go to a carnival or a music concert or a foreign country..." Bulma was drunk off of fun. I think most of it was her reaction to the stress. Normally she would have been grumpy, but this time she was happy. Strange what stress does.  
  
After that we ate ice cream together. One bowl and 2 spoons. After the ice cream, she started to say something, but she stopped herself. When I asked her she was going to say, she just said nothing.  
That is the end of chapter 2! I hope you liked it! New chapter will be out soon! 


	3. Triumph

Dreams and Wishes  
  
Chapter Three: Triumph  
  
Sorry for the super long wait!  
  
Disclaimer:I own nothing  
  
Description: An Alternate Universe (AU) fic. Bulma/Gohan pairing. How many lives would have been changed if Goku didn't make it off Namek before it exploded? Well, it turns out that things would have turned out very, very different. Although you will probably tell me this is an OOC, I don't think it is because these characters may have reacted this way under these situations. You may say that this is OOC for Gohan, but keep in mind that this all could have been going on in his mind before he met Videl. So, I don't think it really is OOC, just AU. If Gohan and Bulma is too weird a pairing for you, don't read it, because I promise right now this is not going to turn into a Gohan/Videl at any point. That being said, I hope you like it!  
  
"No…please…don't go…" Piccolo silently prayed to the beeping monitors. This was it. My mom was going to die. I didn't feel sad, or scared…just empty.  
  
"Why?" She spoke! Well that was an improvement…but she was going to go, all the same. Piccolo struggled to form words.  
  
"Uh…I…I want you to stay." She repeated herself.  
  
"Why?" He turned away. He was unwilling to dishonor Goku's memory, even if it meant letting Chi-Chi die. I guess he must have figured that she'd be happier in the other world with him anyway.  
  
"For Gohan. He doesn't need to lose his mother and his father, does he?" The monitors increased their beeps. She didn't have long.  
  
"Is that the only reason?" What would he do? I wanted to shout to him to say it, to confess…Goku wouldn't mind. He wouldn't want her to die like this. But it was not my place.  
  
"No…it would mean a great deal to me personally…if you stayed…" Her eyes widened.  
  
"Piccolo?"   
  
"I love you, Chi-Chi." She weakly smiled, and started to say something, but she started shaking. Piccolo screamed at Dendae, "Now!" He rushed over to her, and healed her. If she had the will to live inside her, he could heal her sickness, but if she still wanted to die, it would be no use.   
  
The monitors went back to their original beeping pattern, and Piccolo sighed. She was going to make it. And apparently, so was Piccolo.   
  
I didn't even feel bad that he was sort of replacing my Dad. I should feel very bad, but I don't. I wonder why…  
  
None of us were allowed to talk to my mom after that, until she fully recovered. I felt happy that she was going to make it, but nervous at how Bulma would react. She might decide to celebrate…spend more time with me. I loved our time together, but the mental strain of it was often too much.   
  
"Gohan, let's celebrate!"  
  
***  
  
When I got home, I felt goose bumps all over me. It turned out to be a very quiet celebration. Dendae and Piccolo wanted to meditate, so it was just us.   
  
We watched a few movies, then simply sat and talked. She looked so beautiful…  
  
"That was a pretty brave thing Piccolo did." I nodded.  
  
"He was a real hero. Not just for saving your mom, but for sharing his secret feelings." I nodded again. Did she have to torture me like this?  
  
"Don't you think love is the most important thing in the world?" I nodded, for a third time. Where could she be going with this?  
  
"I knew you'd say that…" She leaned over and kissed my cheek. I instantly blushed a fiery red. I almost felt anger at the cruel tease. But I could never be angry with her…  
  
"Gohan?" I said nothing. There would never be any time to reveal my secret. Not even in the face of cruel teases.  
  
"Gohan…do you believe in love or not. Because I do. I believe love can happen between anyone. Between a human and a sayin, or a human and a namakien, or a teenager and a girl in her thirties." Was it...true?  
  
"How do you feel about that, Gohan?" It was true! No, no, a dream! That was it! A stupid, good for nothing delusion! This is not happening!  
  
"Please say something to me." A tear formed in her eye. No matter how real she was, I owed to myself to at least have a moment of dream with the love of my life.  
  
"Bulma…I…love you." It was much harder to say than I would have expected. She leaned over and kissed me again, this time a light brush on the lips. Now I knew I was dreaming.  
  
"Even though you are young, I can tell what kind of person you are at heart. You're kind, loving, gentle, and I know how you'd treat me. You've amazingly devoted, and I can see how big a heart you have by how much of a crush on me I've noticed. You have inside yourself a pure kind of goodness almost nobody has, a kind of goodness that just slays me. I've often wanted to tell you how I felt about you, how I wanted to hold you, to kiss you…but I kept feeling guilty, like I would be taking advantage of you or hurting you in some way. Now I know. People like Piccolo do the right thing. I'm not going to wait a second longer to make us happy." Her speech seemed to light up my soul. My Christmas had finally come for my inner child, and her angelic words were the lights on the tree. I felt my mind drift, past my determination that this was all a dream, past all my worries and pains; past even my beloved Bulma…I drifted into the sheer happy glow that I felt. I felt my body lie down, but that wasn't even me anymore…I was just a free floating spirit.   
  
But my drifting spirit returned to me in a jolt as I felt her hand grace mine. Everything that had just happened flooded back to me in a rush, and I was aware of a single tear making its way down my cheek.   
  
I was caught between thinking her words of praise about me were far too grand for someone like me; and believing in their veracity with all of my heart because I knew that the feelings I had about her were unlike the feelings anyone has ever had for anyone else, ever.  
  
Then, the slightest signs of pain returned to me, from remembering my belief that this was all a dream. How cruel it felt, to have the pain lifted off my shoulders and then slammed back again. How cruel it was that I was going to wake up, I was going to wake up…I closed my eyes.  
  
"Gohan? Gohan?" There she is. I must have overslept. My wonderful dream is over.  
  
I opened my eyes. There she was, where she was before. I fell asleep on the couch? No wait, I was on the couch in my dream, not in real life. Furthermore, if it was morning, why was it dark outside?  
  
"Gohan? Why did you close your eyes like that?" It wasn't a dream! I felt like screaming and jumping up and down and exploding all at once.  
  
"I wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming."   
  
She laughed, but it was unlike any laughter I had ever heard before. It was not the cynical laughter she used when she was angry about someone's mistake, nor the relieved laughter she used when my dad had saved the day. It was different…I didn't know how…but I knew that she felt happy inside.   
  
She was amazing…just a simple laugh and I was grinning from ear to ear. I was so lucky…I should tell her that.  
  
"I'm so lucky." She just smiled this time, staring at me.  
  
"I've thought about what it would be like to fall asleep in your arms so many times." Thoughts of that image overwhelmed my mind.  
  
"Gohan, I'm going to go to bed now." She…no…no…all sorts of thoughts streamed through my mind.   
  
"You are welcome to join me."   
  
***  
  
When I came to her bed, she was already unclad and under the covers. I felt a little nervous about my own nakedness, so I wore pajamas.   
  
I wrapped my arm around her soft, feminine body. She was warm, glowing, beating, exuding life, a goddess…I felt so special with my arms around her.   
  
I intently listened to her breathing pattern. Slower…slower…she was getting less nervous…more used to my embrace…sleep was almost upon her…sleep…  
  
So beautiful…so artfully magical. I leaned my ear a little closer to her back and could hear her heartbeat, too.   
  
Bulma could probably make anyone feel lust for her, but my animalistic sense was not in overdrive tonight. Not even with holding her in my arms. My only thought was to simply hold her, to hug her…to simply lie her with her, and listen to her breath and heart. To be one with her…to simply know that this wasn't a dream, and tomorrow we would wake up together…and I would never have to worry anymore, for love has finally come…  
  
That is the end of chapter 3! I hope you liked it! New chapter will be out soon! 


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